


swan song

by dreamsmp



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Canonical Character Death, Dave | Technoblade and Wilbur Soot and TommyInnit are Siblings, Dream Smp, Lowercase, Mental Breakdown, No beta we die like jschlatt, Villain Wilbur Soot, Wilbur Soot Needs a Hug, because i think it looks nicer
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-18
Updated: 2020-11-18
Packaged: 2021-03-10 00:14:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,598
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27614681
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dreamsmp/pseuds/dreamsmp
Summary: tommy was wrong, there was no way to reclaim l’manburg after what schlatt had done. wilbur was too far gone now, too unstable. it all had to go, today, or else he wasn’t sure if there would be redstone left to ignite the bombs.his manic, racing thoughts were only cut by a familiar voice. not tommy’s, no, and he wasn’t sure his brother would be able to stop him now. the voice sent a chill of terror and guilt down his spine, and he felt sick.“what are you doing?”
Relationships: Wilbur Soot & Phil Watson
Comments: 5
Kudos: 86





	swan song

“if i’m going to press it ever, it’s now.” wilbur didn’t know why he was speaking aloud, no one was here to listen to him. he was sure that everyone was listening to tubbo’s presidential speech, expecting a new era of peace and harmony now that schlatt was dead. oh, were they wrong. the thing was, it was never meant to be like this. tommy was meant to be president, that was wilbur’s plan, to give tommy a false sense of security with everything he ever wanted, everything he worked for, and pull the rug out from under him. to show him that he  _ would never be president _ , just like wilbur kept telling him. but oh, tommy didn’t listen. he never did, he always had to be right. he was fucking sick of it. 

“the  _ thing _ that i built this nation for doesn’t even exist anymore!” he shouted, knowing that he wouldn’t be heard anyways. he was far beneath the podium, under meters of solid stone and packed soil. no one would know he was down here until it was too late. “the- the thing that i  _ worked towards _ doesn’t even exist anymore! it’s  _ over. _ ” 

his hand trembled over the wooden button; a silent and final call for help. he knew he was going to press this button. no one would be able to get in his way this time. tommy and alex wouldn’t be able to convince him to give them more time for another plan, they were none the wiser that wilbur was even down here. wilbur told himself for weeks that he would press this button because if  _ he _ couldn’t be president of l’manburg,  _ no one could. _ not schlatt, not tubbo, and definitely not tommy. despite the fact that he was so certain to destroy manburg, he was … scared. his mind was running faster than he could ever imagine, eyes darting to the words on the walls that he had scribbled in a manic state. the song that he had written months ago for a nation that was long gone now. his l’manburg. tommy was wrong, there was no way to reclaim l’manburg after what schlatt had done. wilbur was too far gone now, too unstable. it all had to go, today, or else he wasn’t sure if there would be redstone left to ignite the bombs. 

his manic, racing thoughts were only cut by a familiar voice. not tommy’s, no, and he wasn’t sure his brother would be able to stop him now. the voice sent a chill of terror and guilt down his spine, and he felt sick. 

“what are you doing?” 

how did he get here? how did phil know? wil was still staring at the button, not knowing whether to sob or to laugh. he hadn’t seen his father in months, years even, and now he shows up? he knows he should be furious that someone had interrupted his plan, but his nerves get the best of him. this truly was the worst case scenario; no where in his plans did he account for phil showing up right before he pressed the button. 

“i-i’m not - i wasn’t doing anything, we just- we just made tubbo president! we- we, um. we won! we won the war. schlatt’s gone, schlatt’s  _ gone _ , phil.” wilbur turned to face his dad, looking pale as a ghost as he backed up to hide the button from his view without pressing it with his back. he couldn’t press it just now, not when there wasn’t a clear exit for the both of them. it wasn’t like he tested how much damage this bomb would do, and with almost eight hundred pieces of tnt, he didn’t want to risk anything going wrong. surely, it would kill some manburg citizens, but if they got caught in the crossfire, wilbur didn’t feel like he was to blame. 

“uh huh.” wilbur may have been taller than his father, but he still felt like a child under phil’s disappointed stare. he could taste bile in the back of his throat, his hands trembling as he tried to prove his innocence. if he could just get him to believe him  _ just _ enough to leave … “so. we are where exactly, now?” phil may be new to manburg, but he knew what this room was. he knew what wilbur was planning; rumors spread like wildfire, especially when tnt was involved. 

“in … l’manburg, the sort- the area.” wilbur had never worked well under pressure, and this was no exception. he couldn’t even look phil in the eyes, gesturing wildly as if it would make his case any better. “you wouldn’t know, i don’t think you’ve been here, but it’s the area around l’manburg. it’s complicated - it’s geo- geography and that, you know? it’s- it’s ...” 

wil could hear the fireworks from outside. he already knew that was his brother, he knew that techno would dissolve into murderous rage once he heard that they had dethroned a tyrant just to elect another president. he could hear the terrified shrieks of the poor soldiers and citizens that dared to cross the blood god. part of him wondered if his younger brothers would be spared. 

“in  _ l’manburg _ , you said?” phil either didn’t notice the chaos coming from outside, or didn’t care. his attention never strayed from wilbur, if only for a few moments to see the frantic words written on the walls, the redstone dust smeared haphazardly on the cold stone. disappointment didn’t begin to describe the emotions he felt as he watched his son, his darling boy, stammer for words. if this were techno, he would have expected it. there was no quenching his eldest son’s desire for bloodshed, and he was far beyond correcting. tommy would never pull something to this degree, but was always getting himself into trouble. causing wars over cattle, over materialistic items that could easily be replaced, picking the wrong pockets and nearly paying with his life. but wilbur… 

wilbur had always been kind. phil had naively assumed that he wouldn’t fall into the same violent footsteps as his older brother. he watched his son choose music and love over waging wars, to wear soft fabrics over suits of armor. he had just assumed that wilbur would live a normal life, a peaceful life. how wrong he was. 

“do you know what this button is?” wilbur asked, figuring there was no going back. if phil knew what the button did, what this room was built for … “have you heard … the song on the walls before? have you heard the song?” he tried to buy more time. he didn’t know  _ why _ , the button was being pressed today no matter what. and this was the perfect time, when everyone was in manburg, right above the tnt. he didn’t think he would get another chance like this. “i was just saying i made this big point, and it- and it was  _ poignant _ , and it was the- it’s- ‘there  _ was _ a special place’, and it’s- it’s not  _ there _ anymore, you know? it’s not-” 

“it  _ is _ there,” phil interrupted, keeping his voice level. shouting at wilbur would do nothing but cause his son to panic and press the button if only to get out of this situation. he wanted to at least try and calm him down, try and urge him to consider what he was doing. “you just won it back, wil.” 

“ _ phil, i’m always so close to pressing this button! _ ” wilbur threw his hands up before doubling over, his hands pulling at his hair. “i’ve been here, like seven or eight times i’ve been here.  _ seven or eight times _ .” he looked up when he heard people running past the podium, clearly to escape techno’s wrath, and he was not letting anyone else intrude on his plan. 

he muttered something about how he didn’t want anyone else in here, blocking off the only exit with blackstone before standing back in front of the button. he couldn’t stall anymore. he couldn’t risk getting caught and having someone else find the small tunnel he’d built under the podium. alex and tommy already knew, and if he took any longer, they’d come running in to stop him. 

“phil, i- i’ve been here so many times. they’re fighting. they’re  _ fighting _ .” wil knew what techno was capable of, he’s seen him slaughter dozens without tiring, and if he took any longer, there would be no one left to watch his plan unfold. 

“and you want to just blow it all up.” it wasn’t a question. he knew that there was no saving wilbur at this point, that he had reached a breaking point a long time ago. how did no one see the signs? why did no one tell him wilbur’s mental state weeks ago, when he could have done something? 

“i do, i  _ do _ , i think-” his back was turned from phil, hands in his hair again. at the festival, wilbur was unsure whether he was actually willing to throw everything he fought for away. he was worried that he would ruin tubbo’s life, and at the time he couldn’t carry that burden. now, he wasn’t going to let anyone talk him out of this. it was time.

“after you fought so hard to get this land back?” 

“i don’t even know if it works, phil, i don’t even know if the button works, i could- i  _ could _ press it and it might …” 

“do you really want to take that risk?” out of shock, he laughed. out of all of his sons, he never pictured wilbur turning out this way. phil would have never expected his darling, doe eyed boy to become such a monster. “there is a  _ lot _ of tnt potentially connected to that button.” 

the fireworks were getting closer, now. muffled, he could hear tommy screaming his name, sounding absolutely terrified out of his mind. it would be minutes until tommy realized what wilbur was doing and would come and stop him. he needed to wrap this up, now. 

“there was a saying, phil. uh, by a traitor, um, one part of l’manburg. a traitor, i don’t know if you heard of, eret? he had a saying, phil.” despite the fact that wil’s voice was calm, level, there was a spark in his eye. an unreadable expression on his face, torn between excitement and mortifying fear as he turned and placed his hand on the smooth wooden button. this was it. 

wilbur grinned so wide that it physically hurt, looking his father in the eye as he let all of his weight lean down and press the button. 

the familiar hiss of ignited tnt was the only sound in the small, cold room until phil spoke.

“oh my god, you  _ didn’t _ .” but it was too late. the deafening explosions had already begun. it was too late.

wilbur turned his back on the button now, facing phil with a maniacal grin. it was  _ done _ . finally, there was no l’manburg left to lose. no nation to fight over. wilbur had started this war, and even though schlatt had died and dream had surrendered, this war was ending on his own terms. he had finally gotten the last say. he closed his eyes, not knowing if he would survive this explosion, and saluted his father with a smile. 

as he listened to the frightened shrieks and the ongoing explosions, and phil’s shocked yelling, he sunk to his knees. he could faintly register his father yelling at him, but that didn’t matter anymore. it was done.  _ finally.  _ as he stood, he could pick out voices from the distance. he could hear dream’s excited cheers, tubbo’s confused yelling, and tommy’s distressed screams. it was  _ perfect _ .

“ _ MY L’MANBURG, PHIL. MY UNFINISHED SYMPHONY, FOREVER UNFINISHED. IF I CAN’T HAVE THIS, NO ONE CAN!”  _ wilbur screamed, his voice silencing most of the citizens as they watched. the wall of the room was gone, exposing the interior for everyone to see.

wilbur is stuck between laughing and sobbing as he watches the chaos ensue. he doesn’t know whether to feel relief or guilt or joy, but clearly the mix of emotions is tearing him apart from the inside. he wrapped his arms around himself, tears streaming down his face as he watched everyone scramble to the rubble again. he sees tommy standing straight ahead of him, next to techno who is rifling through an ender chest for wither skulls and soul sand. 

“kill me, phil. phil,  _ kill me. _ phil, kill me!” wilbur holds his diamond sword out to him, shimmering with enchantments. “stab me with the sword, murder me now,  _ kill me. _ ” wilbur was speaking too quickly, realizing what he had done. there was nothing left for him. tommy wouldn’t allow him back in pogtopia. niki would surely never look at him again. fundy had made it clear that he was no longer wilbur’s son months ago. “ _ DO IT, KILL ME _ !” his voice kept getting louder, desperate for phil to end it all. 

“kill me, murder me! look, they all want you too!” wil gestures to what is left of manburg. he watches techno continue to reign hell on whoever is left alive, either not realizing that wilbur is about to die or not caring. wilbur doesn’t know which is worse. “phil,  _ KILL ME!” _

“you’re my  _ SON!”  _ phil screams, having finally had enough of wilbur’s manic pleads. “no matter  _ what you do, no matter what you’ve done-” _ he’s cut off by wil grabbing the sword from his father’s hands, eyes wide as he looks back at the crater where manburg once stood.

“phil, this isn’t-  _ look! LOOK!  _ how much work went into this and it’s gone?” wilbur’s voice was getting hoarse now, throat strained from his shouting. he looked back at his father, pressing the blade against his chest. he’s hysterical now, his entire body wracked with sobs as he sees just how disappointed and lost phil is. every time he came into this room, he wondered if his father would be proud of him. if he could finally live up to the impossible standards that techno set. “ _ please. _ ” 

wilbur doesn’t know what the breaking point was, but he hears tommy screaming as the diamond sword is plunged through his stomach. he vaguely registers the sword clattering to the stone floor and phil pulling him into a hug. it hurts,  _ god _ it hurts, but he relishes in the comfort of being held. he hadn’t felt physical affection in so long. he’s been so cold …

“you couldn’t just  _ win? _ you- you just had to throw your toys out the pram?” phil sounds a mixture of furious and heartbroken, but the fact that he’s still being a disappointment whilst dying strikes a chord within him.

“go on.  _ kill me. _ kill your  _ disappointment _ of a son,” wil hisses, his voice breaking as he feels hot blood pouring out of his stomach. he holds onto phil just to stay standing, his knees buckling from the pain and blood loss. the enchanted blade burns, it hurts more than any war injury he’s sustained before, but knowing that he would never hear his father say he was proud of him hurt more than dying.

wilbur dies in the arms of his father. the survivors watch as phil holds onto his son and sobs into his hair. their screams of shock fall on deaf ears as he sits on the stone floor, holding wilbur and repeating over and over just how much he loves him. the only thing that grabs his attention is hearing his youngest son yelling desperately for techno to put the wither skulls away.

**Author's Note:**

> there's three planned chapters for this fic, one from wilbur's pov, one from tommy's and one from techno's. yell at me in the comments.


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